Table 2:

Lessons learned

Lesson learned

“It opened my eyes to other cultures. Helped me learn about what was important to her. This included turning a blind eye to only allowing 2 visitors, nope there are not 6 women and a baby in there! I wanted to learn how to take the best care possible for patient and that’s including understanding what was most important to them.” (11c) “I remember several things about this patient including that his wife was a very demanding persnickety woman but because of my own experience I understood that this was driven by a deep love for her husband. Learning that people respond to stress, loss and grief in different way was a very important lesson.” (34b) “I also learned that denial is a powerful coping skill.” (34c) “She reminded me that the glass doesn’t have to be half empty. It can be half full. She also reiterated that spirituality plays a HUGE role in life and needs to be recognized and incorporated into hospital care.” (44c) “This patient was a great teacher and taught me many lessons. Her death was a great loss and I think that it taught me to set better emotional boundaries as well as professional boundaries.” (45b) “I learned so much about communication through care of this patient. She taught me early on my career that the best way we can be there for the patient is to listen and let them be heard, we don’t need to have all the answers or know how to fix everything.” (45c) “Things change very quickly with his case and we had literally no time to really discuss what he may want as he been doing quite well and was a full code previously. Also giving the treatment and then having so quickly a negative outcome was impactful. That would help me realize that even though we try these awesome treatments with patients that sometimes they don’t make it despite our efforts.” (59b) “It taught me that love is love and that caregivers experience incredible distress during the care of their loved ones.”... This was years prior to gay marriage or the current environment of acceptance. I still imagine that Glennis would be pleased with the progress we have made as a society and I am eternally grateful for her educating me.” (62c) “Because it taught me that just because someone did something bad, it’s still my job to be a great nurse for them.” (65b) “This patient really showed me what it is to give 110%. Despite the hand that she was dealt she bravely faced her disease and was still an incredibly kind and giving person. She still went out of her way to make a positive impact on everyone around her.” (69b)